A solo Thanksgiving.. any suggestions for a menu?

Go out. You basically have two choices on Thanksgiving outside of fast food. Either find a hotel serving a banquet style meal, or go for Chinese. Same thing on Christmas.

Well, if you live in a big city, more places than that, Cjhsa...
my friends and I went to a local hotel dining room one time, one with a roaring fireplace, comfy booths, good food...
which might be weird alone, if you are not used to doing that.
So, I see the point about a Chinese restaurant. Hmmm, or maybe Thai?

I'm solo this year on T. day, and will take the opportunity to cook a small free range type turkey, and I'll try brining it. I look forward to it, actually, and, hey, I'll have all the leftovers, and I get both of the wings...

Will make dressing - one kind instead of the usual two kinds - bake a yam, and make green beans my way - which is steaming them to still a bit crunchy and dressing them in garlicky olive oil, some vinegar, perhaps some chili flakes. I'll make enough beans to keep in a glass container in fridge for a few days for snacks.

Oh, and I'll listen to chjsa on the sauvignon blanc, which I have in the house anyway.

I would say to just ignore it and have whatever you would normally have on a Thursday afternoon.

I have just ignored it before... and gone for a walk and read a book.
On the other hand, I talk to a lot of people on the phone that day (most of my friends and all of my extended family live hundreds - if not more miles away - and I think I'd enjoy having a turkey cooking at the same time.

be thankful for some time off from your family....I would be..... :wink:

turn on a fan, eat naked, enjoy the breeze....

Here's an idea. Volunteer at a shelter/soup kitchen. You'll make others happy and get a meal out of the deal.

cjhsa, that is a fantastic idea. maybe I should do that this year.

One year I spent Thanksgiving alone. An ex had dinner with his family in the same town, but did not invite me and my mom and aunt were out of state at a funeral. But that is another story. I bought one of those turkey's that is only the breast meat with no bones. I cooked that up, along with my favorite Thanksgiving veggies and gravy. I bought gravy made at the deli in my local grocery store. You can even cook some stuffing up in the oven.

Or many better grocery stores may have Thanksgiving dinner already prepared where you only need to simply heat it up.

Soup Kitchens have lots of volunteers for Thanksgiving and Christmas--and can be short-staffed for 363 days every year.

Because of implacable circumstance, I've had two Thanksgiving dinners alone--and enjoyed them both. One year I ate Chinese. The second time around I had bagels, lox and cream cheese with out-of-season asparagus. Delicious.

Really, by the time a woman passes 30 she's had at least on Thanksgiving Dinner manufactured in Hell and special delivered to her doorstep. Get that one over with and for the rest of your life you can be thankful that that particular holiday is a memory rather than a tradition.

Can you get away for the day? Most years I prefer to go to a beach on Thanksgiving b/c they tend to be empty... and living in Hawaii, it is just too freakin' hot to cook a bird in the oven b/c of tradition... I buy one (or 2) but make them when we have rain for a week and the house starts feeling damp... The best holidays I've had are spent with me making pies the night before, so we all eat pie for breakfast (and I make extra for my best friend's family and she makes me some stuffing...) then we go to a beach and eat deli cut turkey in sandwiches. We come back, all sandy and tired and have more pie, whatever we feel like making for dinner, eat some cranberry jelly which has been chilling in the can all day in our fridge... it's THE BEST way to spend it: not a slave to any tradition except your own, I tell ya! :wink:

I've had a few alone, three? four? over the years, and am not thrown by it at this point. Rather have my own time than some slough of despond.... er, miserable situation.

I am starting to think that could be the day I tackle the Oak Tree painting... as I don't have so much free time. I know I am on a2k a lot, but while I have the computer on, I am doing a lot of other stuff. I never have, say, five days in a row to me. (and know most of the rest of us don't either.)
Five days are good... just about enough to get yourself back.

This will be my seventh Thanksgiving without any family. I will eat alone again and have plenty of leftovers. Thanks to my friggen sister!